Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-05-14
Bari punraren,s Ghost STORY.

SOUL anu DOuy, SIT, bAlO JOnn,
the guide, "never see such luck in all
my life; most as bad as we had two
years ago when we was caInped away
down East by the head Of Martins
river. You remember, sir, the night
we saw the little fire in the woods
close by, when there was no one there
to make it2 Very curious that was;
can't make that out at all. What was
it, do you Think"
"Perhaps ghosts making > fire,
john" said /.
eyes, sir, mebbe !; some Of our peo-
pie believe in ghosts, sir; very foolish
people, some Indians"
"Don't you, John?"
ooh no, sir. Inever seed no ghosts.
have seen and heard some curious things
though. l was hunting once with
two gentlemen near Rocky River-you
know the place we'll, sir. We were
all sitting in camp; winter time, sir;
pretty late, about bed time. The gen.
tlemen were drinking their grog, and
we were smoking and talking, when
we heard some one walking, coming
up to the camp. 'Hellop said one Of
the gentlemen, who can this be at
this time of nightP Well, sir, we
stopped talking, and we all heard
she man walk up u the door. My
soul, sir, we could hear his moccasins
crunching on the hard, dry snow quito
plain. He walked up to the door, but
did not open it, did not speak, did not
knock. So, after Q little while, one
of us looked out-nobody there; mo-
body there at all, sir. Next morning
there was not track on the snow
not track-and no snow fell in the
night. Well, sir, we stayed there q
fortnight, and most every night we
could hear man in moccasins Walkup
to the door and stop; and if we look
ed, there was no one there, and he left
no tracks in the snow. What was it,
do you think, sir?"
Don't know, John, I am sure" /
said, sunless it was some strange effect
of the wind upon the trees"
"Well, sir, / seed q curious thing
once. I was hunting with gentle-
man-from the old country, ! think
he was-my word, sir, long time ago
--mebbe thirty years OF more. My
soul and body, sir, what . sight Of
moose there was in the woods in those
daysl and the caribou run in great
herds then; all failing, now, sir, all
falling. We were following caribou,
right fresh tracks in the snow; VIC
were keeping sharp lookout, ex-
pecting to view them every minute,
when looked up and saw o man
standing between us and where
the caribou had gone. He was not
moro than two hundred yards off,
could see him quito plain. He had ON
. cloth cap and a green blanket coat,
with belt around the middle-not =
leather belt like we use, sir, but o
wooden one like what the Frenchmen
use in Canada. There was a braid
down the seams of his coat and round
his cuffs. / could see the braid quito
plain. He had no gun, nor axe, nor
nothing in his hands, but just stood
there with his hand on his hip, thas
way, right in the path, doing nothing.
"'Our hunting all over SIR 1 said
to the gentleman; we may as we'll g
home why, what is the matter,
Johnr says he. why, look at tho
man, there, right in the track; he's
scared our caribou, 1 guess Well sir,
he was very mad, the gentleman was
and was for turning right round ant
going home; but l wanted to go up
and speak to the man. He stood there
all the time-never moved. / kind
bowed, nodded my head to him, and
he kind Of nodded his head, just the
same way to me. Well, I started to
20 up to him, when up rose a grea.
tat cow-moose between him and me
Look at the moose, Captain said l
Shoot herv Good Heavens, John!
he says, If do shall shoot the man,
toop No, no, sir, never mind cried,
fire at the mooseP Well, sir, he up
with the gun, fired, and .downed tho
moose. She just ran q few yards,
pitched forward, and fell dead when
the smoke cleared off the man was
gone; could not soc him nowheres.-
MY soul and bodyl what's become Of
the man, Captain?' 1 says. Dunno.
John; perhaps he is down, too,' says
he. well, SIR says /, you stop here,
and will go and look; mebbe he is
dead, mebbe not quite dead yeti
Well, l went up to the place, and
there was nothing there-nothing but
little pine tree, no man at all l went
all round, sir-no tracks. no sign of
man anywhere on the snow. What
was it, do you think, sir, we saw?"
@WelI, john" replied, II think
that was curious instance Of refrac-
tion."